I visited Peak District hotel for afternoon tea with Santa - and it was delightfully festive

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It's only a few more sleeps until Santa officially arrives and to make the most of the last weekend before Christmas we had the privilege of indulging in Festive Afternoon Tea with Santa at a historic Peak District hotel.

Father Christmas certainly has a packed schedule this year from canal boats to steam trains, garden centre grottos and stately homes there have been plenty of opportunities to see the big fella to suit all families.

For the first time this year Santa has flown in to The Maynard at Grindleford and The George Hathersage, both owned by independent hospitality group, Longbow Bars and Restaurants, for afternoon tea sessions.

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We visited the Maynard and from the moment we arrived the festive magic swept us away. Our afternoon tea was served in the beautifully decorated Chatsworth Suite, with a giant Christmas tree in the corner and festive music playing.

This is the first time that the venues have offered Afternoon Tea with Santa.This is the first time that the venues have offered Afternoon Tea with Santa.
This is the first time that the venues have offered Afternoon Tea with Santa.

The warm, cheerful welcome from staff made us all feel very special and my girls were charmed by the lovely elves who were on hand to help and entertain throughout.

We were shown to our table – which was also very elegantly decorated – and the little ones were offered hot chocolate with marshmallows straightaway while we had a choice of tea or coffee with staff ready to top up our cups as needed.

Santa was popping between tables to meet families and was in an extremely jolly mood, taking time to speak to every child. There was also an opportunity to make reindeer food with the elves, take part in some Christmas colouring and post a letter in Santa’s postbox.

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Our food arrived quickly with the festive sandwich selection for the grown-ups featuring roasted locally reared turkey and stuffing, local ham, smoked salmon, cucumber and cream cheese and pigs in blankets with brie and chutney, all delicious. The neatly presented sandwiches were the perfect size and mix of festive flavours.

Grown-ups can expect festive sandwich selections featuring expertly roasted locally reared turkey, ham and pigs in blankets. There was also smoked salmon, cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, and festive afternoon tea trimmings like Christmas cake, brownie and mini winter berry pavlova. Not forgetting the cranberry scone, clotted cream and jam.Grown-ups can expect festive sandwich selections featuring expertly roasted locally reared turkey, ham and pigs in blankets. There was also smoked salmon, cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, and festive afternoon tea trimmings like Christmas cake, brownie and mini winter berry pavlova. Not forgetting the cranberry scone, clotted cream and jam.
Grown-ups can expect festive sandwich selections featuring expertly roasted locally reared turkey, ham and pigs in blankets. There was also smoked salmon, cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, and festive afternoon tea trimmings like Christmas cake, brownie and mini winter berry pavlova. Not forgetting the cranberry scone, clotted cream and jam.

Next up was a cranberry scone served with clotted cream and jam and finally Christmas cake, chocolate brownie and mini winter berry pavlova.

Pastry chefs at The George and The Maynard make all of the afternoon tea cakes, scones and treats by hand using locally sourced ingredients.

The children’s menu was a feast of festive child-friendly delicacies. First a ham sandwich on bloomer bread and pigs in blankets with tomato sauce, which my girls demolished and said was their favourite bit. Next hummus with veg sticks which again went down very well and finally half a chocolate scone spread with Nutella, an excellent touch for children, a chocolate brownie and a gingerbread man. I thought the mixture of food on the children's afternoon tea had been really well thought out with little treats and a nod to healthy eating too.

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The afternoon tea was followed by a chance to sit down and speak Santa. My girls has a really good chat about their Christmas wishes and what they were most looking forward to. It's fair to say Father Christmas was very kind and entertaining – my children were entranced about getting such a long time to talk to the main man. They both received an official ‘nice list’ certificate and a selection box gift.

As with any afternoon tea we left with a goodie bag of cakes that we couldn't quite manage but ate them the following day and I can confirm they were all delicious.

Feeling full and festive we completed our afternoon with a walk at Padley Gorge.

Seeing Santa can be an expensive business but I felt the Festive Afternoon Tea was good value.

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It costs £25 per adult and £12.50 per child (including the selection box) and we spent one hour and a half in the venue. The food was good quality and delicious, the staff very accommodating and the children had a good opportunity to speak to Santa. All in all a delightful festive experience. I'm looking forward to going back next year!

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